Why is there no Mandarin on a Chinese Take-out Menu?
How many French loanwords can you find in English? The answer is a hell of a lot. Culture, government, soup, broil, cream. What about from German? Not nearly as many as French, but things like schadenfreude, zeitgeist, kindergarten, and wunderkind might come to mind. So, now, how many words can you find in English that come from Mandarin? That number is a whole lot less. There are an absolutely massive number of Mandarin-speakers living in English-speaking countries and China plays considerable role in geopolitics and commerce worldwide. THat being said there are hardly any Mandarin loanwords to be found in English. Certainly, there are terms like fengshui, shitzu, qi/chi, and possibly the word silk. Beyond that, you probably have some interest or some strong connection with China or Chinese culture if you know things like guanxi , hanfu , dao , and wuxia . Even so, each of these refers to some very specific cultural concepts that really don’t translate to English. Now you might be thi...